CLUB SANDWICH 78

AND IN THE GREEN CORNER

What we put on our forks not only affects our health, it also greatly impacts our environment. The good news is that what is best for us individually - eating a largely plant-based diet - is also best for the Earth. In this piece, DIET FOR A NEW WORLD, acclaimed nutrition expert, author and EarthSave International founder John Robbins explains how painlessly the goal can be achieved

            I was born in the heart of the Great American Food Machine. From childhood on, it was expected that I would someday take over and run what has become the world's largest ice cream company, Baskin-Robbins. The ice cream cone shaped pool in the backyard of the house in which I lived was a symbol of the success awaiting me.
            But when the time came to decide, I said thank you very much, I appreciate the kind offer, but "No!" I had to say no, because something else was calling me, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not ignore it.
            There is a sweeter and deeper dream than the one I turned down. It is the dream of a society in which all beings share because it is founded on a reverence for life. A dream of a society at peace with its conscience because it respects and lives in harmony with all life forms.
            Some years ago, I realised that far too few people are aware of just how powerfully our eating habits affect the possibility of making this dream come true. Millions of us are merrily eating away, unaware of the pain and disease we are taking into our bodies with every bite. So in 1987 I wrote Diet For A New America, the first book to show in full detail the power of our food choices.
            The response was overwhelming. People around the world continue to call and write, wanting to take action and effect positive change on an individual and planetary scale.
            To continue the work I started with Diet For A New America, in 1989 I founded EarthSave International, an educational organisation that promotes the benefits of plant-based food choices for our health, our environment and a more compassionate world. EarthSave's mission is to help make the dream of a better world a reality by revealing the explosive truths behind the food on our plates, and by promoting the positive alternatives. The good news is that the healthiest, tastiest and most nourishing way to eat is also the most economical, the most compassionate and the best for the life support systems on which we all depend.
            Among EarthSave International's projects, the Healthy School Lunch Program is fast changing the way that young people across North America eat. As kids, most of us learned at home and in school that plenty of meat and milk makes for strong, healthy bodies. We did not learn, however, about the horrors of factory farming or the multitude of ill-effects linked to a meat-based diet. The Healthy School Lunch Program (HSLP), working in concert with volunteer-run Local EarthSave Groups, is helping students across North America understand the full implications of their food choices, and to get plant-based meals offered in their school cafeterias.
            The number of communities wishing to implement HSLP is growing rapidly as more children, parents and teachers become aware of the program and its benefits. To help these communities act without delay, EarthSave has published the Healthy School Lunch Action Guide and the Healthy Children, Healthy Planet Curriculum, resource books which provide lesson plans, fun interactive games, vital statistics, recipes and community action tips for people wishing to bring healthy meal options to their school. HSLP's goal is to have nutritious, cholesterol-free menu choices, based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes - served daily in every public school in North America.
            Another key EarthSave program, Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!), also works within schools to educate and empower youth to take positive steps for the environment. YES! uses song, performance and dance to take steps toward improving all life on Earth. YES! presentations are full of "do's" instead of "don'ts". YES! has presented to more than 1400 high schools, conducted more than 100 daylong youth empowerment workshops, and inspired young people to take action from Costa Rica to Taiwan. This summer, YES! will host the first-ever World Youth Leadership Camp, a unique eight-day gathering featuring 40 young environmental leaders from 15 countries.
            EarthSave International includes people of all kinds taking informed action to heal our lives and our planet. I am proud to count Paul and Linda McCartney among our supporters and members of our Board of Advisors. EarthSave International and I welcome your participation in this global movement. To receive a sample full-colour newsletter and more information about becoming an EarthSave member, write to EarthSave International, 706 Frederick Street, Santa Cruz, California, 95062-2205, USA. Phone (408) 423-4069, or in the US (800) 362-3648. Fax (408) 458-0255. Email: EarthSave@aol.com.

DID YOU GET THEM ALL?

How many of the 58 Paul McCartney references did you spot in Norrie Duff's poster on page 7? Here's his list:

            'Another Day', 'C Moon', 'The Back Seat Of My Car', 'Jet', 'Listen To What The Man Said', 'Venus And Mars', 'Cook Of The House', 'Let 'Em In', 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey', 'Mull Of Kintyre', 'With A Little Luck', 'London Town', 'Seaside Woman', 'Waterfalls', 'Temporary Secretary', 'The Pound Is Sinking', 'The Long And Winding Road', 'Glasses', 'Daytime Nightime Suffering', 'Ode To A Koala Bear', 'Dress Me Up As A Robber', 'Arrow Through Me', 'Spirits Of Ancient Egypt', 'Odd Sox', 'Junk', 'Yesterday', 'My Love', 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish', 'Live And Let Die', 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', 'Helen Wheels', 'Ebony And Ivory', 'Take It Away', 'Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five', 'Spies Like Us', 'Momma Miss America', * 'Wild Life', 'Bluebird', 'Picasso's Last Words', 'Cuff Link', 'Crossroads', 'Medicine Jar', '3 Legs', 'Figure Of Eight', 'Let Me Roll It', 'Hot As Sun', 'Heart Of The Country', 'Tug Of War', 'You Gave Me The Answer', 'Hi Hi Hi' and 'Ballroom Dancing'. The three album titles are Red Rose Speedway, Back To The Egg and Ram and the four additional references are Wings, Apple, frog chorus and a beetle!